Side Notes 1/28-2/4

Those blue recycling cans you see at Bend parks? More illusion than reality. Their primary purpose is to stroke your nature-loving ego. Because people either don't know how or can't be bothered to properly separate trash from recyclables—and because Bend Park and Rec can't afford to dedicate staff to sorting through your rubbish—both cans go to the same place. And Bend Park and Recreation Department Director Don Horton says that's not likely to change. The ideal solution, he says, is to move toward a model where trash and recycling are sorted by the collection service, rather than residents.

Anyone who's had to look for housing in Bend in the last few years knows it's exceptionally hard to come by. And that's not just putting a pinch on workers, but on their employers as well. The Bend Chamber hosts a candid conversation—seriously, City Affordable Housing Manager Jim Long has a reputation for telling it like it is—on the subject and what can be done to address the growing crisis Tuesday, Feb. 3 at Deschutes Brewery. Also at the table: Damon Runberg, Regional Economist for the Oregon Employment Department; Kerri Standerwick, Broker for Harcourts, The Garner Group Real Estate; and Andy High, vice president of the
Central Oregon Builders Association.